Fire fighter

The rain lashed against the hospital windows, a harsh drumming sound that did little to mask the heavy silence within the maternity ward. Late-shift nurse Marcus paused by a bassinet that should have been empty. A small, dark-haired boy lay wrapped in a standard issue blanket, his face peaceful in sleep despite the storm outside….

Sarah Palin was impossible to miss in 2008, when John McCain plucked the little-known Alaska governor onto the national stage. A “force of nature,” she blended folksy confidence with a scrappy underdog appeal—then stepped back into a life that, in recent years, made headlines more for heartbreak than politics. Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and raised…